2018 HAS ALREADY BEEN ROBUST for the AIA Housing and Community Development Knowledge Community (formerly the Housing Knowledge Community). In the context of challenges spanning from local to global, HCD KC members are writing articles, leading efforts to bring the goals of the New Urban Agenda to realization, and celebrating the accomplishments of designers from around the country.
I am writing today with many upcoming opportunities that I hope you will take part in. First, if you aren’t already a member, please join the HCD KC. As a member, you will join the over 11,000 individuals who already participate in the community and access the resources that we share through webinars, research and networking.
OUR WEBINAR SERIES
The HCD KC organizes and sponsors a monthly webinar series. Our partners, the Open Architecture Collaborative and EDI International, and volunteers among the HCD KC Advisory Group make this series possible. Sign up for the next segment of this free and convenient way to hear about innovations within the field and earn Continuing Education credits here on July 9. You can also access our past webinars from 2011 through last month in our webinar archive.
NEW URBAN AGENDA AT CONVENTION AND BEYOND
Join the HCD KC at Convention in New York for the session Implementing the New Urban Agenda: Lessons for Equitable Housing Policy & Design. Sponsored by the HCD KC, attendees will hear from and join a dialogue with housing and community development experts on opportunities and methods through which architects can play a role in implementing the New Urban Agenda (NUA).
This session is the continuation of the Housing and Community Development KC’s five year engagement with UN Habitat’s initiatives to provide quality housing and communities for all of the globe's residents including the almost one billion people living in slums. Representatives of the KC participated in a NUA forum in Kuala Lumpur in February, engaging in discussions about the architect’s role in public policy, resilience, community building, professional continuing education and more. Lessons from the engagement are being incorporated in a report, this presentation at convention, an upcoming webinar, and later in 2018, partnerships to support and share the efforts of groups implementing the New Urban Agenda in their own communities.
THE AIA/HUD HOUSING AWARDS
In addition to the New Urban Agenda session at Convention, the HCD KC celebrates the Best in Housing annually at AIA’s National Convention. Join us Friday, June 22nd at 7:30 at the Hilton Midtown in New York City to celebrate your peers remarkable achievements in affordable housing and community design. Registration for this event has sold our but you can learn more about all the award winning project profiles online. Congratulations to this year’s winners in all categories.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Last, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the HCD KC leadership group. This KC is lucky to have a diverse and widely flung group of professionals whose efforts go far beyond participation in a monthly call, and each contribute to the success of this group. Their work includes organizing an exciting pre-conference workshop at the ACSA gathering in Denver in March, developing partnership and sponsorship relationships, organizing webinars, managing the KC’s social media, and researching and writing about housing and community development from a variety of perspectives. Many thank you’s to each of you for your time and talents. I would also like to thank our KC support staff, Susan Parrish and Akanksha Singh.
It is my pleasure to serve as the chair of the HCD KC for 2018. In the first five months of 2018 we have accomplished much, but many of these activities are just beginning. I look forward to continuing to serve our membership, and look to the members for feedback and guidance.
Sincerely,
Emily Roush-Elliott, AIA
2018 Housing and Community Development Chair